So he took the blind dive into the pool, unaware if it was filled with water or sharks.

“I needed to do something,” Lee said. “So I decided to do an open mic and try some jokes.”

Not all was perfect, but Lee quickly realized he'd leave science to behind.

“I said something that I didn't mean to be a joke, but everyone laughed,” he said. “It was enough of a thrill for me. I definitely wanted to keep going, so I did.”

And comedy is where the 36-year-old remains today, living for two years in the heart of Los Angeles, though he's up in Norcal on Jan. 17 to open for surfing buddy Andrew Norelli at the Empress Theatre in Vallejo.

Lee gets back to the Bay Area three or four times a year, managing to hit the Punch Line in San Francisco Jan. 13-14 and the Throckmorton in Mill Valley on Jan. 19.

“I'm lucky. I have a pretty good following of people who generally know what they're getting,” Lee said. “If you advertise your shows ‘scientist turned comedian,' drunks won't come in.”

Lee said he missed the Bay Area beyond the obvious of “clean air,” though, with no rain in sight, that also could be up for grabs.

“This (L.A.) is a hard town to have normal social relationships,” Lee said. “Everyone's here for the same reasons. In the Bay Area, everyone has different jobs and different goals. Everyone here wants to be in the entertainment business, so, in some ways, it's one dimensional.”

Yes, Lee said, that includes his endeavor.

“I'm part of the cause,” he said. “It is so much nicer when people have different goals.”

Lee said he's learned to perhaps not shoot for the moon, but try to latch onto a star here and there.

“Usually, I do things I think will be big and it goes nowhere. Better off taking small steps,” he said.

Lee could no longer resist the lure of the industry headquarters.

“It's not my first choice. But it's where the business is,” he said. “I had done everything I could in the Bay Area. I didn't want to leave. To move ahead in the job, you have to make a move so I did.”